London Olympics: Swimmer Missy Franklin's golden era begins

Monday

Jul 30, 2012 at 12:01 AMJul 30, 2012 at 12:46 AM

The future officially arrived on Monday when U.S. swimming phenom Missy Franklin earned her first Olympic gold medal by conquering the competition in the 100-meter backstroke in London. If Franklin's rapid ascent up the global swimming step ladder is any indication, it’s the first of many Olympic awards that will eventually hang from the bright-eyed superstar's neck.

The future officially arrived on Monday when U.S. swimming phenom Missy Franklin earned her first individual Olympic gold medal by conquering the competition in the 100-meter backstroke in London. If Franklin's rapid ascent up the global swimming step ladder is any indication, it’s the first of many Olympic awards that will eventually hang from the bright-eyed superstar's neck.

Other highlights from Monday's action in London:

Swimming: France's Yannick Agnel has been Ryan Lochte's demon at these Olympics. After catching the American to capture France's first Olympic gold medal in the 4x100 free relay, Agnel outswam the field in the 200 free, winning by nearly two seconds.

Fencing: In one of the strangest moments of the 2012 London Olympics, South Korean fencer Shin A Lam lost a highly controversial decision in the semifinals and then refused to leave the arena as her team scrambled to make an appeal. Shin was tied with German Britta Heidemann in the semifinal match of the women's individual épée when a clock error occurred. Details here.

Gymnastics: There was serious controversy at the North Greenwich Arena in London on Monday, when the judges of the men's gymnastics team final awarded the silver medal to Japan after the team made an inquiry late in the competition. According to the Daily Mail, the Japanese team protested a score given to Kohei Uchimura on the pommel horse, and the judges ultimately decided to accept the team's appeal and award Japan the silver at the expense of Great Britain.

Looking ahead: To describe Tuesday's matchup between Tunisia and Team USA as a showdown between David and Goliath might actually be doing a disservice to the legacy of kings against Philistines everywhere. Tunisia, a small North African nation better known for setting off the Arab Spring of 2011, is in the midst of its first appearance in the Olympic basketball tournament after claiming last year's FIBA Africa Championship. Head coach Adel Tlatli's squad opened its trip to London with a 60-56 loss to fellow African newcomer Nigeria.